Wednesday December 7, 2016
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), in Lima, Peru, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) more >
The Obama administration has written a secret deal that could let Australia ship more than 2,400 refugees waiting to enter its borders over to the U.S. instead, including refugees from terrorism-connected countries such as Somalia and Syria, two top Republican congressmen said Tuesday.But the details of the agreement have been deemed classified by the administration, shielding Americans from knowledge of what President Obama has agreed to, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
They have seen the agreement and said there’s no reason it should be hidden from the public.
“The American people have a right to be fully aware of the actions of their government regarding foreign nationals who may be admitted to the United States,” the congressmen wrote. “American taxpayers not only foot the bill for the majority of the refugee resettlements in the United States, but they bear any consequences regarding the security implications of those admitted to the U.S.”
Australian authorities are frightened that the deal could go south under President-elect Donald Trump, who has been harshly critical of the Obama administration’s refugee policy.